HON Validate Big and Tall Executive Office Chair - Ergonomic Leather Computer Desk Chair with Adjustable Height, Lumbar Support - Black (HVL685) - Perfect for Home Office, Gaming & Professional Workspaces

I bought one in 2012 and paid $315. I have been using it for 6 years. My usage level is extremely high. When I am sitting in a chair it is this one. I use it when I am at my computer, when I am eating, and for all practical purposes everything else. In fact, it is the only chair I use. I would estimate I am in it about 8 hours in a typical day. I am 6 ft. tall and weigh 200 pounds. So far there have been no mechanical failures. This thing is built like a battleship with heavy-duty steel used throughout. The seat plate is heavily reinforced and shows no signs of failure.It is not the most comfortable chair I have had but I rate this factor as acceptable. When first received I found the spring that controls the tilt back function was too strong and you felt you were always fighting the chair when leaning back even at the minimum setting. I had to make a field modification to overcome this most vexing problem. I removed the spring cover, which gave me access to the spring and adjustment mechanism. The carriage bolt than ran through the center of the spring was 4-5/16” long. This kept the spring under too much compression even at the minimum setting. I replaced it with a Hillman 3/8-in x 5-1/2-in Zinc-Plated Carriage Bolt ($1.10) and Hillman 3/8-in Zinc-Plated Standard (SAE) Nylon Insert Lock Nut ($.18), both obtained at Lowe’s. In order to reinstall the spring cover I found it necessary to drill a ¾” hole in the bottom of the cover. This mod made it possible for me to minimize the spring back pressure but also allows for the adjuster to add more if you feel you need it.Recently I have noticed that the upholstery is starting to fail. The surface is now flaking off in certain areas and the appearance has degraded substantially. It is evident this chair was covered in bonded leather and not real leather as advertised. Having said that I think the fake leather has held up remarkably well.All in all, I would give this chair 5 stars and may even consider buying it again.I bought this chair in November. I really like the chair, it is extremely comfortable. Just a few weeks later one of the wheels is broken. I contacted the seller. After more than 3 weeks and several e-mails, today they tell me that it is a warranty claim and I have to contact the manufacturer. If that was the case why did it take so long and several requests to tell me that? Unless they did this intentionally and did not reply until it became a warranty claim and they were off the hook. Very poor customer service.This is a great chair! If you are a big guy, you will appreciate the size comfort, and strength of this chair. The arms, and base are steel, not plastic! The seat is memory foam, and the whole chair is leather covered. It goes together very quickly. It took me about 20 minutes from unboxing. About the only thing to keep in mind, is that if you have hard wood flooring, you will need to change out the casters. I bought poly 2' from caster city, which adds about $50 to the cost of the chair. It is made in China, but well made, and a nice addition to my office overall HON did a great job.Really love this chair. I first got one for my IT job at a hospital. Really comfortable and have had that one for about 3 months now. I just recieved my Amazon one a few days ago and its a really heavy chair to assemble made of metal, not cheap polymer plastics. Reallly loving the one at home. Would buy this chair till the day I die if Basyx and HON kept making it.my boss likes itGreat chair for the first couple of years. Then I noticed the bonded leather on the arms and headrest started to "bubble" , crack and peel (see photo). Very disappointing - a $400 chair that performs like a $100 chair.EDIT: Downgrade from two stars to one. The "bonded leather" completely disintegrated after three years of use. Sad to have to junk an otherwise comfortable and sturdy chair, but it is trash.I've always bought Hon office chairs because of their quality, but this one is a real disappointment. After only two weeks of very light use, the plastic grips that hold the casters in place are cracked -- all five of them! As a result, the casters are misaligned and the chair doesn't roll properly across the floor. It's too much hassle to return something this big, so I'm just going to junk it and look for another chair. Don't waste your money on this product.I bought this chair about six months ago and for the second time, I am going to have to call HON and have them send an entire new base assembly because the casters are cracking and falling apart. They have plastic bushings that cant handle the stress of rolling on anything but perfecty flat and smooth surfaces. The sent me the base earlier last year and it's happening again.It would be comfy enough with this issue resolved.